Prostate cancer: therapeutic patent review

Despite the widespread implementation of screening protocols for early detection of prostate cancer, there are still no effective cures for advanced disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related male deaths in the United States and notwithstanding an encouraging decrease in the mortality rate, prostate cancer will remain a major health problem. However, new therapies are emerging that may significantly alter the future of the prostate cancer patient. For hormone-responsive prostate cancers, complete androgen blockade has been successful in delaying progression and new gonadotropin-releaing hormone (GnRH) antagonists promise sustained medical castrations without the deleterious side effects of GnRH superagonists when used alone. Yet, poor solubility and oral bioavailability have plagued their development. To overcome these limitations, significant advances have been made in the synthesis of non-peptide GnRH antagonists. Hormone-refractory prostate cancers were once considered to be chemo-resistant, but new evidence to the contrary has become more widely accepted. Not only can chemotherapy cause regression of disease, it has also been shown to improve quality of life. This has led to a number of clinical trials to test combinations of currently available chemotherapeutic agents. In addition, new discoveries surrounding the biology of prostate cancer have sparked the invention of a number of targeted therapies that may revolutionise the care of the prostate cancer patient.